The Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus was constructed in 310BC on the island of Rhodes, which is situated off the south-west coast of Turkey. The island, and especially the capital, was an eminent trade centre and was invaded many times by many different armies over the centuries. The Colossus itself was built by the people of Rhodes after they defeated the invading army of Demetrius who had laid siege to the island for over a year. The fleeing troops of Demetrius left behind masses of bronze which were used on the exterior of the statue whilst the huge siege engine that the invaders had brought with them to help breach the walls of Rhodes, became the scaffolding for this great work.

The statue is often depicted as bestriding the harbour, with ships passing between its parted legs, but it is unlikely that this would have been the case. It is far more probable that it stood with its feet together - simply because it would have been near impossible for the Rhodians to construct a figure spanning the harbour with the materials they had available at the time.

The statue, standing 34 metres (110 feet) high atop a pedestal 15 metres (50 feet), was a depiction of Helios - the patron God of the Rhodians. It stood for 56 years before being felled by an earthquake. An Egyptian king offered to fund its reconstruction, but the people of Rhodes declined fearing the earthquake had been a sign of Helios' displeasure at the statue.

http://mars.netanya.ac.il/~aizeyuri/rodos.html